Fire-escape



" (No Mod elJ I R. L. PRUY'N.

FIRE ESGAPE.

" Patented Mar. 27, 11883.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT L. PRUYN, or BATON'ROUGE, LOUISIANA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,657, dated March 27, 1883.

Application filed May 24, 1882. (No model.) I

To all whom it'may concern: I

Be it known that I, ROBERT LEGET PRUYN, of Baton Rouge, in the parish of East Baton Rouge and State oi' Louisiana, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Escape, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description. My invention relates to a traveler mounted on rails supported by brackets in suitable projection from the wall of a building, near or at the top, to support the traveler, so that a basket may be suspended from it by tackle, with which to raise and lowerthe basketfrom the traveler,sa-id traveler beingprovided with tackle enabling it to be shifted along the rails to any part of the front of a building, also from the ground, and the hoisting-rope of the basket is provided with brake mechanism by which to regulate the descent for safety, said brake and a place for the deposit ofa part of the hoistingrope resting on the ground when the basket is lodged aloft under the rails for keeping being inclosed in a box at the base of the wall of the building,in readiness for use when required, as hereinafterfully described.

Reference is to behad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification,in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is'a perspective view of a portion of the wallet a building, showing the railwaytraveler, basket, and thetaoklefor operating the traveler and basket according to my invention and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the brake for regulating the descent'of the basket and the case for inclosing the same, and the hoisting-rop'elfor the basket to be ready for use when required.

Arepresents the wall of a building, from which, near or at the top, I arrange a couple of rails,B, one above another, or otherwise, as preferred, on brackets 0, attached to and projecting out far enough from the side of the wall to enable a traveler, D, of any-approved form, fitted by grooved wheels, to run safely between said rails to carry the tackle E for suspending a basket, F, from said traveler, and for raising and lowering it thereon by a hoisting-chain or wire rope, H, for the rescue of people and goods from the building in case of its destruction by fire The traveler is also furnished with chains I or ropes extending along the rails to the corner of the buildings, and down therefrom over swiveled pulleys. J to the ground, to be used for shifting the basket along the side of the building from one to another of the windows, whereverit may be required for the rescue of people. The basket is provided with a short ladder, K, which is jointed to it atL to swing down upon and book ever the inside of a window, for the control of the basket while receiving persons from the building. It is also provided with guychains, Mto be used by persons on the ground for guiding-the basket while being raised and lowered, said chains being wound upon spools 6 N, that are 'telggqlldrily lodged upon the brackets O on the ends of the basket, to be stored aloft with the basket, but which are to be taken off and placed on the ground when the V basket is let down preparatory to being put to use, and for the reception of a fireman to go up in the building for reaching the fire, or for other purposes.

The hoistingchain or rope H willpass through a snatch-pulley block, P, hooked into a eyestud, Q,in the pavement, and thence through a lever, B, and a block, S, forming a brake, and around a loose drum, T, forming a guide for the rope, so that a person attending the brake may work the lever with one hand, and hold rope in the other for the descent of'the basket; but when the basket is to be hoisted the rope will pass out through the slot U in the case W, along the pavement, where men will haul on it to raise the basket.

Eyebolts Q will be locatedat intervals along the pavement wherever it may be desired to I locate the block P of the hoisting-rope, the

A window may be a platform or stage-plank sliding in grooved ways or on guides of any kind extending across the basket.

In practice the basket is to be provided withioo a gong, by which the person in the basket may communicate his orders forthe moving of the The block B and the basket to the persons in charge of the hoisting-ropes.

Horses may be employed for hauling the hoisting-ropes, if desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the chain by which the fire-escape basket is to be lowered, of the loose drum T near the pavement, the perforated grooved block S, through which the chain passes, and the correspondingly endgrooved lever 1%, whereby the person who stands on the pavement may work the lever with one hand and hold the chain or rope H with the other, so as to regulate the rapidity at which the basketshall descend,as described.

2. The wall-brackets O 0, each held at one end to the wall by a screw and nut, and bent toward each other at the outer ends and supported near the bends, in combination with the two parallel rails B, as shown and described.

3. The combination, with. the basket, of the guy-chains M, the reels N, and brackets O,as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of guys M with the basket F, having hoisting-tackle E H, traveler D, and overhanging railway B, said guys being attached to the basket and coiled on spools N, and the spools temporarily mounted on brackets 0 of the basket, substantially as described.

ROBERT L. PRUYN.

Witnesses:

JOHN J ASTRINNKI, ANDREW J. HERRON. 

